No. 1 College Basketball Recruit AJ Dybantsa Receives Massive $4.1 Million NIL Update

BYU Cougars signee AJ Dybantsa is one to watch for as he enters college basketball next season. As a high school recruit, he was a five-star and rated as the No. 1 player in the class of 2025 (On3 Sports).

Back in December, the 6-foot-9 small forward announced his commitment to BYU, choosing the Cougars over three of college basketball's biggest names: UNC, Kansas and Alabama.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Dybantsa saw a significant jump in his On3 NIL valuation—up $274k to a total of $4.1 million.

We are living in a new era of college sports, with the leading beneficiaries being the players and the schools with big-market athletic programs. Including his landing of brand deals with Nike and Red Bull, Dybantsa is on a contract with BYU to receive over $7 million this season, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times.

The Cougars have emerged as an NIL juggernaut, especially after the hiring of head coach Kevin Young back in April. Young, in fact, was reportedly one of the biggest reasons Dybantsa elected to take his talents to Provo, Utah.

“A lot stood out during my visit," the Massachusetts native said on ESPN's "First Take." "Obviously, coach Kevin Young’s there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, and he coached my favorite player of all time, Kevin Durant."